Thread cleaner and thread cleaner blade



Oct. 26, 1937. E w YOUNG THREAD CLEANER AND THREAD CLEANER BLADE FiledJan. 18, 1936 "INVENTOR. Eml/ (/n A T TORN E YS.

Patented Oct. 26, 1937 THREAD CLEANER AND THREAD CLEANER BLA Emil W.Young, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application January 18, 1936, Serial No. 59,645

9 Claims.

The invention relates to thread cleaners and thread cleaner blades, suchas are used on textile machines of various types for removing anddetecting fluff, lint, slubs, knots, foreign matters, enlargements orother imperfections from or on threads or other filaments.

It has for one of its main objects to provide a cleaner unit in whichlint or other matter cannot accumulate and in which the blade may beused over a long period of time without being worn. Another object is toprovide a thread cleaner which will greatly relieve the strain on thetraverse beam on which such cleaners are generally mounted, which willoccupy small space,

' and which will more effectively clean the threads.

Another object is to provide a thread cleaner assembly in which theblade unit may be removed from and inserted in the frame with greatease, even while the machine on which the assembly is used, is running.A further object is to so attach the blade unit that it cannot beaccidentally dislodged. A still further object is to provide meanswhereby a floating motion will be imparted to the blade unit by thereciprocating action of the traverse beam.

Additional objects are to provide a thread cleaner and thread cleanerblades, of simple, accurate and strong construction, which can bereadily attached to any machine where such devices are needed, in whichthe blade units may be interchanged with a minimum expenditure of labor,and which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

These and various other objects and advantages will be readilyunderstood from the following description and from the accompanyingdrawing of preferred embodiments of the invention, in which, however,various modifications may be made without departing from the scope ofthe appended claims. In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a side view of a threadcleaner embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view, taken on line AA, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is another bottom view, taken on line BB, of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view, similar to Fig. 4, showing the cleaner blades in adifferent position;

Fig. 6 is a fragmental, cross-sectional, side view of certain parts ofthe thread cleaner unit;

Fig. '7 is a similar View, showing the blade looking mechanism in itsopen position;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a thread cleaner employq ing a somewhatmodified frame; and

unit

Fig. 9 is a front view of Fig. 8.

Referring first to Figs. 1 to 7, the cleaner unit consists of a frame I0which is bent rearwardly at II and downwardly at I2, as plainly shown inFig. 1. Slots I3 are provided at the upper end of the frame and theframe is shown attached to the traverse beam I4 of a textile machine, bymeans of screws I5. A bracket I6 is sheared from the center of the frameand bent downwardly and inwardly under the part I I of the frame andparallel with this part. I

The cleaner blade unit, which consists of a blade support I1 and a pairof cleaner blades I8, is supported between the bracket I6 and therearwardly bent part I I in the manner tobe explained later. A threadguide I9 is secured at the lower end I2 of the frame, while a socket 20is sheared and bent outwardly from the frame to support another threadguide 21 which is supported on a wire frame 22. The lower ends of thisframe fit in the socket 20. This Wire frame is so constructed as to makeit easy to insert the thread 23 in the guide 2|.

The cleaner blade unit is secured to the frame in the manner plainlyillustrated in Figs. 6 and 7, to which reference is now made. A flatspring 24 is secured to the upper side of the part II of the frame andextends in underneath the brackets IS. A pin 25 is riveted to thisspring. The pin is provided with an enlarged head 26 which is slidinglymounted in a hole 21, formed in the part II, while the pin itself slidesin a hole 28, formed in the bracket I6. The spring 24 normally tends tohold the pin 25in the position shown in Fig. 6. The blade support I1 isprovided with an elongated hole 29 in which the head 25 fits and a slot30, slightly larger than the diameter of the pin 25, extends from thehole 29 to the rear end of the blade support.

This construction of the blade support is plainly shown in Figs. 3, 4,and 5. It will be noted that the blade support, when the pin is in theposition shown in Fig. 6 may swing on the head 26 and move slightly inand out in relation to the frame. It will also be noted that when thepin is forced upward against the tension of the spring 26, asillustrated in Fig. 7, that the head will be raised above the bladesupport so that in this position the blade unit may be removed bypulling the blade forward so that the slot 39 will straddle the pin 25.Thus, by raising the pin 25, the cleaner blade units maybe removed orinserted in the frame. An opening 3| is also formed in the spring sothat the head 26 may pass through this opening when raised to releasethe cleaner blade unit.

Reference is now made to Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As previously stated, theblade unit is free to swing on the head 26 and is also provided with asliding movement, due to the elongation of the opening 29. As thetraverse beam l4 moves back and forth, the jar, caused by the reversalof the beam, will cause the blade unit to swing first to one side andthen to the other, as the beam reciprocates, as plainly illustrated inFigs. 4 and 5. To limit this swinging movement, stop pins 32 and 33 areprovided.

By providing cam faces in the side of the blade support, such as areshown at 34 and 35, it is pos sible to impart a positive slidingmovement to the blade unit each time that the traverse beam reverts itsstroke. In Fig. -3, the blade is shown at right angles to the frame andwith the blade unit pushed into the frame as far as it' will go. As theblade is swung by the reversal of the traverse beam, as shown in Fig.4,the pin 33 enters into the cam notch 35 and holds the blade unit in thisposition in relation-to the frame.-

However, when the traverse beam is reversed so that the blade supportstrikes the pin 32, as in Fig. 5, the cam notch 34 causes the blade unitto be pulled forward to the position shown. Thus on each reciprocationof the traverse beam the blade unit is not only pivoted from one side toanother,but moved in and out, as plainly shown in Figs. 4 and 5. This isa very important feature and its advantages will be explained later.

In Figs. 8 and 9 a somewhat modified frame is shown. This frame 35A, isprovided with a bracket 36, similar to the one previously described, andalso with a similar spring 31 which operates the pin 38 to hold theblade support 39 on which the cleaner blades 40 are secured. On

the upper end of the frame, two tubular members.

4| and 42 are formed, in each of which one leg 43 of a U-shaped memberis rigidly secured. The other legs 44 of these U-shaped members areadapted to be inserted in openings 45 drilled in the device on which thethread cleaner, is to be used. In this instance the device 46 is anordinary tension device through which the thread 4! passes. The threadis supported in a thread guide 48 secured on the lower side of theframe.

To reduce the friction between the cleaner blade support and the bearingformed by the part I l and the bracket l6, these last mentioned partsare preferably cupped, as shown at 49 and 50 in Fig. 6, or a smallcircular bead 5| is raised, as shown in Fig. '7. This makes the bladesupport respond more readily to the movement of the traverse beam. Theblades I8 may be secured to the blade support in any suitable manner. Aslot 52, of considerably greater width than the thread cleaning opening53 between the blades, is provided in the blade support.

' It will be noted that the swinging movement of the blade unit iscaused solely'by the jarring or vibration of the traverse beam, or othermovable parts on which the frame may be attached. The movement of thethread itself does not impart any swinging movement to the blade unitas'the thread is guided on both sides of the blade unit, as for exampleby the guides l9 and 2|. However, under certain circumstances, thethread will impart a sliding movement tothe blade unit, as for examplewhen a heavy slub is encountered. In such cases the blade unit is pulledeither in or out, as the case may be. Thisimpart a shearing action tothe blade which greatly facilitates the removal. of such slubs or otherenlargements.

It has been found in practice that the sliding movement of the bladeenables so-called raw knots to pass freely between the blades. It willalso be evident that the sudden jarring imparted to the blade unit, ateach end of the strokes of the traverse beam, will shake off anddislodge any lint or other foreign matter which may tend to accumulateon the cleaner blades. By extending slots 53 some distance back of therear end of the cleaner blades this removal of lint and other matter isgreatly facilitated. Due to the sliding movement of the blades, thewearing action of the thread on the, cleaning surfaces of the bladesis-greatly reduced in that the thread 'does not continuously pass overthe same parts -of the blades.-

It is evident that, by shaping the brackets as shown in Fig. 1, the mainweight of the whole device is directly underneath the beam and not infront of the beam as is generally the case. This prevents tilting of thetraverse beam and greatly prolongs its life. It will also be seen thatthe removal of the blade unit or substitution of other blade units, iseasily accomplished by merely compressing the spring 24. Inasmuch asthis spring is quite some distance back of the thread, this may even beaccomplished without stopping the travel of the thread.

Having described my invention and its objects, What I claim as new andwish to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. A thread cleaning device comprising a frame having a bifurcatedbracket for receiving a cleaner blade unit; means for securing the frameto a reciprocating part of the machine on which employed; a pin mountedtransversely in said bracket; a cleaner blade unit having an elongatedslot; the pin of the bracket engaged in said slot; and means associatedwith the frame and with the blade unit for causing the blade unit toslide in and out on said pin as the reciprocating part, on which thedevice is mounted, is actuated.

2. A thread cleaning device comprising a frame having a bifurcatedbracket for receiving a cleaner blade unit; means for securing the frameto a reciprocating part of the machine on which employed; a pin mountedtransversely in said bracket; a cleaner blade unit having an elongatedslot; the pin of the bracket engaged in said slot; and means associatedwith the frame and with the blade unit for causing the blade unit toslide in and out on said pin as the reciprocating part, on which thedevice is mounted, is actuated; said means comprising angular notchescut on 'opposite' sides of the blade unit and pins mounted on the framefor engagement with said notches as the blade unit swings from side toside.

3. A thread cleaning device comprising a frame having a bifurcatedbracket for receiving a cleaner blade unit; means for securing the frameto a reciprocating part of the machine on which employed; a pin, havingan enlarged head mounted transversely in said bracket; a cleaner bladeunit having 'a slotted end terminating in an elongated opening of awidth equal to the diameter of the head on the pin; the head of the pinengaged in said slot; and means associated with the frame and with theblade unit for causing the blade unit to slide in and out in the socketas the. reciprocating part, on which the device is mounted, is actuated.

4. A thread cleaning frame having means for securing it to areciprocating part of the ma.-

chine on which employed; a bifurcated bracket, for receiving a cleanerblade unit, provided on said frame; a pin, having an enlarged head,slidingly mounted transversely in said bracket; means for lifting saidpin while a blade unit is being inserted or removed; spring means forreturning the pin to its normal position; and a pair of pins so locatedon the frame as to straddle the blade unit when inserted in the bracketand engaged with angular notches cut on opposite sides of the bladeunit.

5. A blade unit, adapted to be inserted in the bracket of a threadcleaner frame having a. transverse pin with an enlarged head secured inthe bracket and spaced pins adapted to straddle the blade unit; a slotformed in one end of said unit and terminating in an enlarged openingadapted to fit slidingly over the head of the pin in the bracket; andangular notches cut in the side of the blade unit for engagement withthe pins secured on the frame on which the blade unit is employed.

6. A thread cleaning device comprising a frame having means forswingably supporting a thread cleaner unit; means for securing the frameto a reciprocating part of the machine on which em,- ployed; and meansassociated with the frame and with the blade unit for causing the bladeunit to reciprocate in relation to the frame as the reciprocating part,on which the device is mounted, is actuated.

7. A thread cleaning device comprising'a frame having means forswingably supporting a thread cleaner unit; means for securing the frameto a reciprocating part of the machine on which employed; and meansassociated with the frame and with the blade unit for causing the bladeunit toreciprocate in relation to the frame as the reciprocating part,on which the device is mounted, is actuated; said means comprisingangular notches cut on opposite sides of the blade unit and pins mountedon the frame for engagement with said notches as the blade unit swingsfrom side to side.

8. A thread cleaner frame having means for securing it to areciprocating part of the machine on which employed; a socket forswingably supporting a cleaner blade unit having notches formed on itsopposite edges; and pins secured on the frame for engagement with saidnotches to cause the blade unit to reciprocate when the part on whichthe device is secured is actuated.

9. A blade unit having means for swingably securing it to a threadcleaner frame on which a pair of spaced pins are rigidly secured,notches formed on the opposite edges of the blade unit, and said notchesadapted to be engaged by the pins on the cleaner frame as the blade unitswings from side to side.

EMIL W. YOUNG.

